20 Best Minimalist Living Rooms for Streamlined Design

When it comes to planning the interior design of your living room, the process—carefully curating pieces of furniture, styling décor, creating a cohesive color palette, and choosing fabrics—can be a bit overwhelming. Rather than overfilling your space, you may find that less is more. If you're already a fan of minimal furniture in your living room, you'll agree that the most striking interior design isn't determined by how much you've styled a particular space, but rather what you've left out.

Minimalist interior design meets at the nexus of "too sparse" and "just enough." It's the perfect example of how great restraint can reap even greater rewards. By strictly editing your décor, choosing clean-lined furniture, using neutral colors, and keeping surfaces clear, your minimalistic living room can be anything but boring.

Below, browse minimalist living room ideas from professional interior designers to make an impact in your own space.

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Carefully Curate Décor

In a minimalist living room, every piece of furniture and home decor counts. It's essential to make thoughtful choices about what you include—and what you don't. This minimal room includes a carefully-curated mix of clean lines in the furniture for a bold statement, adding to the room's allure. Small pieces of décor complement the black marbled fireplace styled with neutral wood tones and a sleek white sofa.

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Style a Cohesive Space

The diversity in textures and design eras breaks up the monotony in this living room, which is styled with various décor that flows together naturally. A patterned rug brings a bit of character to the space, while sleek white walls and sky-high ceilings keep the vibe open and airy. Minimal hues in the leather chairs and green houseplant leaves add a touch of color without overwhelming the bright design.

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Focus on What's Functional

Not only does this beautifully styled gray living room promote a soothing sense with its color, but it also uses low-slung furniture alongside tall ceilings for a dynamic interest. Every element serves a clear function: Minimal décor allows room for plenty of seating, while the overall design keeps to its neutral feeling with a simple color scheme. Although nothing in the room is excessive, the living area can be enjoyed comfortably, with room to entertain.

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Keep It Refined

The showstopper in this living area—the velvet chair with a matching upholstered footstool—is elegant and refined. Setting the tone for the rest of the space, it brings warm, neutral tones to the design and highlights the soft green hues in the artwork. Ivory walls frame a simple but comforting space that features clean lines with a hint of color.

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Play With Color

Emily Henderson; Photo: Sara Tramp; Design: Jess Bunge for EHD

Color, too, can play a big role in minimalist design. This bright white living room is designed with delightfully unexpected pops of color. Cool tones are contrasted by warm orange throw pillows and a golden lamp, and it's all tied together by the artwork with hues from each accent. Paired with sheer white curtains, this space feels bright and inviting with a burst of personality.

To add bright hues to a minimalist design, choose a few complementary pieces of décor that work well together to keep from clashing too many different colors.

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Go Industrial

Minimalist interior design is characterized by its austerity of form and its aesthetic brevity—and a refined living room need not have all-white walls and floors. This design uses minimalism to the max by sticking to a cohesive color scheme that allows for more décor while staying true to its purpose. Industrial touches in the light fixtures, minimal wall art, and furniture are chic and calming with a bold style.

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Embrace the Outdoors

Some of the most successful minimalist rooms include an eclectic mix of furniture and décor from different styles and eras. This living area blends midcentury accent furniture with an inviting, modern upholstered sofa, all while highlighting its openness to nature. The carefully chosen pieces within this space create many opportunities to relax and enjoy the main draw: those tranquil views of the great outdoors.

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Choose Monochromatic Palettes

To soften the stark seriousness of an all-white space, the designer of this minimal living room paired bold lighting with small touches of dark colors. Curated decorative accents—like its inviting sofa and plush throw pillows—stay true to the palette. Texture, from the floor pillows to the white curtains to the traditional rug, keeps the design interesting without straying from its minimalist nature.

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Work With Warmth

At times, a home's architecture will dictate the approach to its interior design. In this living room, warm wood ceiling beams command the viewer's attention. To play on the natural color scheme, the designer opted for an edited-down approach with minimal furniture in a similar shade. Sleek white walls and a modern accent chair complement black window frames to draw the eye around the room.

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Make a Mirrored Statement

Bright, open spaces are a common theme in minimalist design. To add to your room's aesthetic, opt for a large mirror that bounces light throughout the room. This designer chose a bold black frame to contrast with white walls and work with the dark upholstered sofa, while also using small accents like throw pillows to carry the theme across the space.

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Consider Your Focal Points

Home Consultant Julian Porcino — Home Consultant

If your home has a built-in focal point like this bold black fireplace, use it as your base when you begin designing the living area. To warm up the contrasting colors, this stylist incorporated plenty of natural materials throughout the room. Various textures—from the leather armchair to the woven footstool, fur rug, and light wood accent pieces—keep things interesting while sticking to a neutral palette.

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Keep Shelf Décor to a Minimum

Styling bookshelves can be tricky—especially when you're trying to keep things simple. To incorporate minimalism throughout your space, you'll want to pay close attention to which items (and how many) land on your shelves. Choose a few special pieces you'd like to display, then find a balance by styling them evenly around the furniture. Stick to a few simple colors, like this black-and-white themed décor, to contrast wood shelves with warmer tones.

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Create Dynamic Interest

To add a hint of character to a sleek, bold space, focus on one area and style it to the max. This white living room feels clean and simple, but the décor on the coffee table commands attention to steal the show. What's important to note here is the dynamic design: Flat stacks of books are paired with a rounded tray for varying shapes along the table, while a tall vase with textured leaves adds height and visual interest.

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Stay Neutral

Regardless of how much décor you have, the color of each piece can make a difference. Opt for neutral shades in all aspects of the room—from the walls to the seating, decorations, plants, and coffee table—to keep it cohesive throughout the room. Smaller dark accent pieces, like mounted lighting and décor along the window sill, bring contrast to this soothing living area.

When you're working with one statement color throughout your living room, choose plenty of different textures to keep the décor from blending together.

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Style by Height

Even amongst a simple color scheme, the aesthetic of your living room can be filled with depth by using height to your advantage. Here, low furniture is styled in front of higher wall-to-wall shelving, while artwork across the shelves varies from short to tall. A black standing lamp draws the eye up from the dark throw blanket, making space for the woven pendant light to be the focal point of the room.

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Add Minimal Modern Touches

Once you've settled on a color scheme, start thinking about the design elements you'd like to incorporate into your space. For an inviting mix of styles, add minimal modern touches to a bright white living room with softer accents. Here, modern metal chairs complement a chic pendant lamp, paired with vibrant hues and neutral tones for a blend of styles.

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Look to the Light

To add a major statement to a simple space, go oversized with your light fixtures. This rounded gold chandelier hangs delicately over an airy living room with plenty of bright décor. A dark green sofa anchors the design to the lower half of the room to create visual interest from floor to ceiling.

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Use Multiple Textures

In a mostly white minimalist space, use multiple textures to draw the eye around the room. Here, a custom design on the fireplace wall creates a striped effect with bold, clean lines. Softer textures come out in the upholstered shag accent chair, while a lush bouquet of fresh-picked flowers keeps the focus at the center of the living room.

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Be Bright in All White

If you're a lover of all-white living rooms, this space is for you. Minimal, neutral colors are found in the coffee table, accent chair, and throw pillows, while the rest of the design is coated in a bright hue. A large opening allows natural light to pour into the room, making this sun-filled space a soothing retreat fit for a vacation.

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Showcase Unique Finds

Every designer knows the value of a fun find, and a minimalist living room is a perfect place to put your favorite pieces on display. This gray-themed room keeps it simple with soft colors, while a brightly colored painting on the wall steals the show. Soft orchid flowers carry the texture to the coffee table, where a marbled top sits on a midcentury wood base for a mix of styles in the eclectic space.

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